Railpasses and reservations for TGV

You're welcome, Matti.

Since SNCF doesn't mail tickets to the USA, getting bumped to Rail Europe is exactly what SNCF intends to happen if you don't leave France as the country in which you will retrieve your tickets. You're not seeing many Prem's because you've waited too long to book and most of them are gone.

Here's a route with one connection that appears on bahn.de but not on voyages-sncf.com. (To see it on the SNCF site requires entering each leg separately.) Take an 11-minute TGV ride from CDG to Marne la Vallee-Chessey, leaving at 10:27 and arriving at 10:38. Take a TGV from Marne la Vallee-Chessy to Strasbourg, leaving at 11:28 and arriving at 13:59.

If I were you, I'd stay at CDG and do that. If your flight is on time, you probably could get into Paris in time to catch the TGV leaving Gare de l'Est at 10:24 and arriving at Strasbourg at 12:46; but if your plane is late, you won't make it. The next TGV from Paris departs at 11:24 and arrives at Strasbourg at 13:41, only a few minutes before the one from Marne la Vallee-Chessy. Stay at CDG and relax over a cup of coffee and a croissant.

The fare for Strasbourg-Colmar on regional trains is €10.40. No reservation is possible. Buy a ticket and jump on. While you can take a TGV for that short ride, there is no need to do so.

If you're willing to leave Colmar at 06:13, you can still get a Prem's fare of €32 all the way to Rouen, including the change in Paris.

Rouen-Paris trains run frequently and the Prem's fare is €10.

This is brilliant!

Do you know how it works if you by tickets from snfc and pick them up in France? Can you pick them up only at the starting rail station, or any rail station?

I looked on the bahn website and saw the alternative itineray you suggest. It looks like I can't buy through that site, so I guess the two legs seperately through snfc--is that correct?

Thank you again.

What are your routes?

What site did you use to get fares for All Saints Day? Point-to-point tickets are often cheaper than a pass, particularly if you can commit to specific dates and departure times to take advantage of advance online discount fares. The disadvantage is that they are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

Go to www.voyages-sncf.com and click on the "Train" tab between "Accueil" and "Hotel" at the top of the page. Then click anywhere in the long URL at the very top of the screen. Find Lang=FR and change it to Lang=UK. Then hit the Enter key and you'll get a booking page in English.

Seat reservations on trains that require them are included in the price of a p2p ticket. If you have a pass, you can make all your reservations when you get to France and pay €3/reservation rather than the $11 (not euros) plus a shipping fee charged by Rail Europe. You can make your reservation at the station up until shortly before departure for any train you have time to catch after landing.

The good news is that the reservation fee will be the same on All Saints Day as on any other day. The bad news is that seats allocated to passholders are limited. If you don't make your reservation well in advance for All Saints Day, those seats will almost certainly be gone. The same is true for weekends on popular routes.

Thanks ever so much, Tim. I've been using the sncf site, but the tip about changing the language is so, so helpful. I've noticed that if I change the purchasing country from France to USA, the site boots me over to rail europe (maybe I'm doing something wrong.)

Here's the route: arrive Paris CDG at 7:45 am Oct 31 Paris to Strasboug, immediately if possible.

Oct 3 Strasbourg to Colmar around 8 am.

Oct 4 Colmar to Paris leave 8 am. Tranfer in Paris to Rouen.

Rouen to Paris October 5.

Fly out CDG Oct 6.

I have an alternate of staying the first night in Paris, and leaving early All Saints day for Strasboug, if I can't sort out the first day's reservation.

I'm not seeing too many prems fares, but maybe I'm confused? It's really the first trip from Paris to Strasbourg I'm worried about. The cheapest trip leaves Paris around 10:30 am, but is it realistic to get by train from CDG to the train station to Strasbourg by 10:30.

Thanks again, this helpline is fabulous and the people here are generous and smart!

You're welcome again!

You can pick up your tickets at any station or SNCF boutique in France.

Yes, book CDG-Marne la Vallee Chessy and Marne la Vallee Chessy-Strasbourg separately at voyages-sncf.com. Enter Airport CDG 2 TGV as the name of the station at CDG.

I'm at the website, with
AEROPORT CDG 2 TGV to
MARNE LA VALLEE CHESSY with date and time and keep getting the following error message:

We have several proposals for the departure and/or arrival town that you have entered. You can view these proposals using the link Help. Thank you.

The help button does not provide help.

Grrrrrr.

Even though there is a reference to the Help link, it doesn't show in the English version of the booking page. On the French version of the SNCF site you would enter Aeroport CDG 2 TGV, but on the English version you have to enter Airport CDG 2 TGV. If you can't get that to work, buy your CDG-Marne la Vallee Chessy ticket when you get to CDG.

Aha! Worked! Tim you win the helpline lifetime acheivement award.